Flora of New Zealand Series

≡Lichen polyphyllus L., Sp. Pl.: 1150 (1753).

Description : Flora (1985: 593).

Chemistry : Gyrophoric (major), umbilicaric (major) and lecanoric (minor) acids (Posner et al. 1992; Sipman & Topham 1992; Narui et al. 1996).

S: Nelson (Cobb Ridge, St Arnaud Ra., Lead Hills, Wairau Valley), Marlborough (Branch River), Canterbury (Hooker Valley, Mt Sebastopol, Grampian Mts, Kirkliston Ra.), Otago (Mt Brewster Haast Pass, Lake Ohau, St Mary Ra., Humboldt Mts, Pisa Ra., Dunstan Mts, Old Woman Ra., Old Man Ra., Umbrella Mts, Lake Onslow, Rock & Pillar Ra., Taieri Ridge, Lamb Hill, Pulpit Rock Silver Peaks, Swampy Summit, Maungatua). A commonly collected, brown-black to dark green-brown, fragile, rather thin-lobed species, often forming considerable swards, on flattish surfaces (tops of rocks and outcrops) in full sun. Often with U. polyphylla and brown species of Xanthoparmelia on subalpine to alpine rocks, 600–1740 m. Known also from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia, and Australia (Purvis et al. 1992; Nimis 1993; Santesson 1993; Øvstedal & Lewis Smith 2001; McCarthy 2003c, 2006; Nimis & Martellos 2003; Hestmark 2004; Santesson et al. 2004; Elvebakk & Bjerke 2006).

Cosmopolitan

Illustrations : Frey (1933: 357, fig. 54); Llano (1950: 263, pl. 21, fig. 6); Brightman & Nicholson (1966: 67, fig.7); Jahns (1980: 221, pl. 530); Moberg & Holmåsen (1982: 156); Thomson (1984: 457); Wirth (1987: 482; 1995b: 936); Hale & Cole (1988: 118, fig. 48B); Hestmark (1990: 568, fig. 15); Wei & Jiang (1993: 152, fig. 82C; 156, fig. 85); Dobson (1992: 339; 2000: 387; 2005: 436); Goward et al. (1994b: 129, fig 14A); Valladares (1994: 498, figs 22, 23); Hansen (1995: 69); McCune & Geiser (1997: 297); Brodo et al. (2001: 707, pl. 868); Sérusiaux et al. (2004: 168).

Umbilicaria polyphylla is characterised by: the saxicolous habit; the dark-brown to black, polyphyllous thallus (2–6 cm diam.); the smooth, slightly glossy, epruinose upper surface without conspicuous wrinkles or pustules; and the smooth, black lower surface covered with multiseptate (6–10-septate) thalloconidia, but without rhizinomorphs (Hestmark 1990; Sipman & Topham 1992).